ASCE NCS Sustainability Committee Meeting - Future Sea Levels

Donald F. Boesch, Ph.D., Professor of Marine Science and President of the Universityof Maryland Center for Environmental Science and University System of Maryland’s Vice Chancellor for Environmental Sustainability.

With its 3,100 miles of tidal shoreline and low-lying rural and urban lands, Maryland, “The Free State” is one of the most vulnerable to sea-level rise. Historically, Marylanders have long had to contend with rising water levels along its Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean and coastal bay shores. Shorelines eroded and low-relief lands and islands, some previously inhabited, were inundated. Prior to the 20th century, this was largely due to the slow sinking of the land since Earth’s crust is still adjusting to the melting of large masses of ice following the last glacial period. Over the 20th century, however, the rate of rise of the average level of tidal waters with respect to land, or relative sea-level rise, has increased, at least partially as a result of global warming. Moreover, the scientific evidence is compelling that Earth’s climate will continue to warm and its oceans will rise even more rapidly.

Recognizing the scientific consensus around global climate change, the contribution of human activities to it, and the vulnerability of Maryland’s people, property, public investments, and natural resources, Governor Martin O’Malley established the Maryland Commission on Climate Change on April 20, 2007. The Commission produced a Plan of Action that included a comprehensive climate change impact assessment, a greenhouse gas reduction strategy, and strategies for reducing Maryland’s vulnerability to climate change. The Plan has led to landmark legislation to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and a variety of state policies designed to reduce energy consumption and promote adaptation to climate change.

Dr. Boesch will be discussing the Commission’s approach, assessments and proposed strategies.

About the Presenter...

Donald F. Boesch is a Professor of Marine Science and President of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and University System of Maryland’s Vice Chancellor for Environmental Sustainability. He earned his B.S. in biology at Tulane University and Ph.D. in oceanography at the College of William and Mary. Don has conducted research on coastal and continental shelf ecosystems along the Atlantic Coast, and in the Gulf of Mexico, eastern Australia, and the East China Sea. He serves as a member of the Maryland Governor’s Bay Cabinet and was appointed by President Obama to the Gulf Oil Spill Commission. In recent years, Don has been engaged in assessing the impacts of global climate change, co-authoring several reports for the state, federal government and National Academy of Sciences, including Global Warming and the Free State, Global Climate Change in the United States, and America’s Climate Choices. Earlier this year, he led a panel of scientists that updated sea-level rise projections for Maryland at the request of Governor O’Malley. Don also leads a program called MADE CLEAR to advance climate change education throughout Maryland and Delaware.

Event Details

Registration and networking will be from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., followed by dinner. The program will conclude by 8:30 p.m. The meeting is sponsored by the Sustainability Committee of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Capital Section (ASCE-NCS).

One (1.0) Professional Development Hour (PDH) will be awarded for attendence.

When

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

6:00-8:30 p.m.

Where

Indique Heights

2 Wisconsin Cir #200

Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Registration Fees

Registration $20

Seating is limited to the first 30 persons to register.

Note: The facility charges by number of reservations, not by actual attendees. Therefore, NO-SHOWS WILL BE BILLED if necessary to cover costs.